1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paint spraying chamber and more particularly to a paint chamber for heating objects in preparation for painting and for drying with radiant heat.
2. Prior Art
Paint spraying operations are often conducted in enclosed spray booths so that the working environment may be controlled. Moreover, enclosed paint spraying structures are required to prevent outer atmospheric pollution. While the paint spraying booths provide a finite area in which the environment may be controlled, the painting process necessarily produces volatile paint/solvent mist and fumes which must be removed from the spraying area. This is required for personnel safety as well as to assure the quality of the product finish which might otherwise be damaged by paint overspray and fumes left in the spraying environment. The need to remove paint/solvent, overspray and fumes from a controlled paint spraying environment is accompanied by the need to maintain or bring the temperature of the object being painted within an acceptable range for painting purposes. It has been found that most paint spraying operations may optimally be performed if the surface of the object being painted is in the range of 68.degree. to 90.degree. F. Thus, where painting operations are conducted during the cool weather months, the working environment or at least the object being painted must be maintained within this optimum temperature.
The requirement that the working atmosphere be free from volatile paint/solvent, overspray and fumes is normally accomplished by drawing air through the spray booth and filtering it of these contaminates prior to exhausting it to the outer atmosphere. The need for maintaining the object being sprayed at an acceptable temperature to properly accept the paint being applied has heretofore been accomplished by heating the air passing through the paint spraying chamber. Because the air cannot be sufficiently filtered of the contaminates therein for it to be recirculated into the paint spraying chamber, the exhausting of the heated air into the outer atmosphere represents an enormous loss of energy and represents the inefficiency of the conventional prior art spray booth. As a result of this inefficient process, prior art units used for automobile and truck painting require heating units producing up to, and in some cases exceeding, several million BTUs per hour to sufficiently heat the air to maintain the automobile at an acceptable temperature. Therefore, a need has arisen for a paint spray chamber which efficiently heats the object to be painted in preparing it for the painting and drying process.